Plural-lamp socket.



No. 721,779. PATENTED MAR. s, 1903. v R. B.'BENJAMIN.

PLUBAL LAMP SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18. 1902. N0 MODEL.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903.

, R. B. BENJAMIN. PLURAL LAMP SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- no MODEL.

yzyza PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOTI-IE BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING CoM PORATION OF-ILLINOIS.

PANY, or CHICAGO, I-LLINoIs, A COR- 'PLU REAL-LAMP jsoc KET.

SPECIFICATION forming part 6f. Letters Patent o. 721,779, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed July 18, 1992. Serial No. 116,083. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: 1 I Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAM N, a citizen of the United States; residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Plural-Lamp Sockets, of which the following-is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part no of this specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in plural-lamp sockets, my object being to provide a construction in which the lamp-holding devices and their associated contacts are I 5 all carried upon the cover.

In the accompanying drawings,.in which the same reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a sectional view of one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the rings for attaching the inner ends of the inner and outer contact-plates together and lookingup wardly in Fig. 2. Fig.3 is a rear view of one of the lamp-holding devices." Fig. 4 is a sec 2 5 tional view of a slightly-different form. Fig. 5 is a front view of one of the lamp-holding devices. Fig. 6 is a rear view'of the insulat-- ing-receiver. Fig. 7 is also a sectional view, but 'of different form; Figu8 is a face view 36 thereof with thecentral portion of the cover removed. Fig. 9 is a rear view of one of the lamp-holding devices, and Fig. 10 is a detail view of one of the outer contacts.

- Referring to Fig. 1, a base 2, preferably of metal, isprovided with a central raised portion upon which the bolt or screw dis carried, 7 a jam-nut 4 being employed to secure the same rigidly in place. metal, rests upon the edge of the'base 2 and supports the lamp-holding devices and the Contacts therefor. These devices comprise the insulating-block 6, of the outline indie cated in Fig. 3, secured to the cover by bolts 7 and having a rib 8 projecting through the apertures in the cover. In the device shown at the leftthe metallic threaded shell 9 projects nearly through the block 6 and is soldered to the ring 10, carried upon and secured to the rear face of the block 6, which ring is provided with an extension 11, to which the The cover 5, also of I segmental strip 12 is secured. The inner contact for the device comprises the spring-strip 13, secured 'at its outer end to the block 6 and passing diametrically across the aperture in the block, as shown in Fig. 3, its inner end being secured to a similar segmental ring 14, as shown in Fig. 2. 'Theintermediate portion of said strip forms the center spring-contact for the lamp. The right-hand socket is constructed similarly, except that the aperture in the block 6 is itself threaded to receive the lamp-bases, and the outer Contact is formed by the spring-strip15, placed 'in a groove or depression in the edge of the threaded aperture, whereby it bears upon and makes contact with the lamp-shell when it is inserted in the socket. This strip 15 is'secured to the base, as by a screw placed at 16,-while its opposite end is secured to the strip 12. The inner contact 13 of this device is secured to the strip 14, so that the inner contacts .are electrically connected and the outer contacts are electrically connected. Binding screws 17 and 18 are carried by strips 12 and 14, respectively, to which the circuit-conductors 18 and 7 5 19 are secured, The cover may be secured at its edge to the base by screws or by soldering,-in which latter case a removable cap 20, heldin place by the bolt 3, serves to close the opening in the cover 5. In case the cover is not secured to the base, the cover and cap are secured to the base by the screw 3.- Eyremoving the nut 20 the cap and cover may be detached from the base. Suitable apertures 21 in the base permit the passage of the lead- 8 5 ing-in conductors. 1

In Fig. 4 the'cover 22 is secured to the support by suitable screws 23, a piece of asbestos '24 or analogous material being placed across the opening of the cover. Insulatingblocks 25 of the form shown in Fi'gQ-G are secured upon the inside of the cover by suitable screws 26, while a projecting rib 27extends through the cover; At thelefthand device a metallic threaded shell 28, provided 9 5 with an inwardly turned flange 29 at its rear end, is carried in the aperture in the block'and is secured in place against the back piece 30 of the insulating-block 25 by the segmental strip 31, having an extension Too 32 projecting to the rear through an aperture in the said block. A ring or half-ring 33 connects the inner ends of these pieces 32 and carries a binding-screw 31, to which one of the circuit-wires brought in through an aperture 35 in the support is secured. The inner contact is formed by the strip 36, extending back over the rear face of the back piece 30 of the block 25 and secured thereto by screws 37, which may beinserted through a suitable aperture 38 in the spring-contact end of the strip 36. The inner ends 39 of these strips are attached to the ring or part ring 40, having a binding-screw 41. In the right-hand device the block is itself threaded to receive the lamp-base, while the inner contact is formed by astrip secured by screw -13 and passing out through an opening in the block 25 and is secured to the ring 33. The outer contact is formed by strip 44, located in a slot at the edge of the aperture in the block 25 and is secured in place by screw The end of this strip is then fastened to the ring 40. An aperture is provided in the end of the spring-contact 42 to permit placing screw to in position. The lamps are thus seen to be connected in parallel, although an outer and an inner contact of the two sockets are directly joined. Are movable cap 46 may be readily taken off to get at the connections of the cluster.

In the remaining figures I show a cluster in which the binding-posts are carried upon an insulating-base and the lamp-holding devices and their contacts upon the cover. The individual devices are like the left-hand device of Fig. -1- and are shown in rear View in Fig. 9, the strip 31 being shown in detail in Fig. 10. The rings 33 and 40 are the same as in the previous figure and connect like contacts of each device. An insulating-base 4-7, however, is provided upon which the springstrips 18 and -19 are secured by screws 50 and carry binding-posts 51. The outer ends of these strips are designed to engage the rings 33 and 4t) when the cover is in place thereon, whereby it is only necessary to first secure and wire up the base when the cover,with the lamp devices, may be readily placed thereon, the bolt 52 serving to support the same. Suitable apertures are of course provided in the base for the passage of the circuit-conductors and base-securing screws.

In an application filed by me July 18, 1902, Serial No. 116,082, I have included generic claims covering the structure of this application, and this application is to be considered as subsidiary to said application above mentioned so far as the claims of said application are readable upon the structure of the present application.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a metallic shell having a plurality of openings, of a plurality of insulating-blocks mounted upon said shell one opposite each of said openings, and a lamp-holding device and associated contacts mounted upon each of said insulating-blocks, substantially as described.

2. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a metallic shell having a plurality of openings, of a plurality of insulating-blocks one opposite each of said openings, each of said blocks having a threaded aperture for the reception of the lamp-base, a rib projecting through the opening in said shell and laterally-extending portions resting against the inner face of said shell and secured thereto, and a pair of contacts mounted upon said in sulating-block, substantially as described.

3. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a metallic shell having a plurality of openings, of a plurality of insulating-blocks mounted upon said shell, one opposite each of said openings, a lamp-holding device and associated contacts carried upon each of said blocks, and electrical conductors connecting said contacts in circuit relation also mounted upon said shell, substantially as described.

4. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a metallic shell having a plurality of openings, of a plurality of insulating-blocks mounted upon said shell, one opposite each of said openings, a lamp-holding device and associated contacts carried upon each of said blocks, and metallic strips connecting said contacts in circuit relation, substantially as described.

5. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a suitable base or support, of a metallic shell mounted thereon and provided with a plurality of openings, a plurality of insulating-blocks mounted upon said shell opposite said respective openings, and a lamp-holding device and associated contacts carried upon each of said insulating-blocks, substantially as described.

6. In a plural-lamp socket, the combination with a metallic shell having a plurality of openings, of a plurality of insulating-blocks mounted upon the inner face of said shell one opposite each of said openings, and a lampholding device and associated contacts carried upon each of said insulating-blocks, substantially as described. 1

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. Witnesses:

O. B. CAMP, W. CLYDE JONES. 

